SUBSCRIBE:

Volume 13 - 2004 Issue 28 (13 July 2004)

In Burundi, where ethnic conflict in the 1990s led to the killing of at least 300,000 civilians, reconciliation is a long slow process. A few brave radio stations are working to overcome that legacy of violence, including Radio Publique Africaine (RPA), reports Dangerous Assignments, the magazine of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

A chilling message has been sent to journalists in Russia following the murder of Paul Klebnikov, the editor of the Russian edition of "Forbes Magazine" who was shot and killed in Moscow on 9 July 2004.

The Chinese government has approved a company's bid to sell technology that allows text messages sent by mobile phones to be monitored, raising fears that authorities are stepping up efforts to further clamp down on free expression, say Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE).

The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) is launching a letter-writing campaign this month to focus attention on the plight of 32 imprisoned Cuban journalists, writers and librarians.

Human rights activists from Africa, Asia and Latin America are invited to apply to attend the fourth International Human Rights Colloquium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in October 2004, which will bring together leading academics and advocates for a week of intensive training on capacity building and campaigning.

ORBICOM (the International Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communication) and the Moroccan government are holding an international conference in Marrakech in November 2004 on the role of media and the information society in Africa and the Arab States.

In 2006, Angola plans to hold its first elections in nearly 15 years. The country is enjoying peace after decades of a brutal civil war in which hundreds of thousands were killed. According to a new report by Human Rights Watch, however, freedom of expression will not fully return as long as the government keeps a firm grip on the media.

In Rajasthan, India, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) is something of a pioneer. A grassroots movement made up of peasants and workers, the organiasation has won remarkable victories in the fight to defend the right to access information, reports freedominfo.org.

For many free expression organisations, knowing how to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their work often ranks high on wish lists. So is knowing how to develop a funding strategy. Detailed information on how to implement these important activities, however, is rarely available for free.

IFEX publishes original and member-produced free expression news and reports. Some member content has been edited by IFEX. We invite you to contact [email protected] to request permission to reproduce or republish in whole or in part content from this site.